Following an encouraging sixth and ninth place at the 24 Hours of Daytona in late January during its maiden race, the BMW M Hybrid V8 managed to climb onto the podium for the first time. At the 12 Hours of Sebring, the #25 race car driven by Nick Yelloly, Sheldon van der Linde and Connor de Phillippi finished second in the GTP class. It crossed the finish line 2.9 seconds behind the pole-sitting Cadillac AXR of Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, and Jack Aitken.

With just one hour to go, the #25 had an unscheduled brake change that caused the race car to lose a lap. Nevertheless, it managed to recuperate the lost ground and grab second. In round two of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 2023, the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Philipp Eng, Augusto Farfus, and Marco Wittmann suffered a technical problem and had to retire after 172 laps. It finished eighth in the GTP class and 51st overall.

Franciscus van Meel (CEO of BMW M GmbH): “Big congrats on this fantastic podium. I am very proud of all the work being done by everyone involved in this still very young project. After the debut of our BMW M Hybrid V8 cars at Daytona in January, there was no time to rest and we can see the progress that has been made here at Sebring. This podium was only the next step and I am confident that we will continue our way towards the top with our brand-new BMW M prototype.”

“I want to thank everyone at BMW M Motorsport and BMW M Team RLL for their great efforts and fantastic work, as well as our BMW M works drivers who once more convinced with a flawless and strong performance. Our BMW M Motorsport teams in the GTD classes also had an outstanding race with the one-two for the BMW M4 GT3s of Paul Miller Racing and Turner Motorsport. Now we are looking forward to the next round at Long Beach in mid-April. I also want to congratulate Turner Motorsport on their great one-two finish with the brand-new BMW M4 GT4 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge on Thursday. That proved that our latest customer racing car has all the ingredients for success.”

In the GTD class, BMW scored a 1-2 finish with the M4 GT3 of Paul Miller Racing with Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow taking turns behind the wheel Corey Lewis, followed by the race car operated by Turner Motorsport of Patrick Gallagher, Robby Foley, and Michael Dinan.

The next race of the IMSA season is scheduled for April 14-15 for the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Source: BMW